Rhetorical Analysis Rough Draft

Dylan Deines

2/23/16

Dr. Brown

Rough Draft

United as One Man

            The picture to the right was taken in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. An American pilot was forced to eject from his plane, which was shot down by enemy forces, and landed in enemy territory, to which he was then taken as prisoner by the Vietnamese and most likely directed to a camp where he would join other prisoners of war.

            Without any context other than the information provided above, one obvious reading or interpretation of the photo follows; If you read this as a photo taken by a citizen of the United States, or another soldier, we would be forced to interpret the photo as America propaganda. The pilot, with his head low, darkened by shadows and his hands tied behind his back makes one believe this photo is trying to capture the mistreatment of Americans in Vietnam. Already tied up, the woman points a gun at the man’s back, a seemingly unneeded action, for if you have ever read anything about the geography of Vietnam you would know there isn’t many places to run; and if you have ever read anything about the Vietnam war you would know of all the mines that were used against Americans in the jungle. The picture to an American would invoke anger, sadness, and pity, it would remind them of a time in this nation’s era that many have tried to forget.

            The truth of the picture, however, is that it was taken by a Vietnamese photographer and the photograph was “made into a stamp that both commemorated the deed and circulated the image throughout North Vietnam” (Young 95). The image was used to boost morale and protest American involvement in North Vietnam’s goal of independence, and it’s objective to win a war against a dominant super power, maybe even at the time the dominant super power.

            To figure out why this photo was an important piece of protest, we must first dissect the photo as if we were in the shoes of a Northern Vietnamese citizen/soldier. The photo has two obvious characters, the American pilot sporting his American Air Force attire, and the Vietnamese woman in what appears to be her everyday wear, a hat to protect herself from the sun, a button up shirt, and some loose pants. The light on the woman’s face contrasts the darkness that befalls on to the American’s face—straight away giving the theme of light vs. dark, a theme found commonly in many religions (the idea of good vs. evil). Next we have to consider the woman herself. She is short like most Vietnamese woman were, skinny, due probably to the lack of food available to Vietnam (American bombing aimed to destroy resources during the war) but yet her face shows determination, concentration and even dominance over the man that stands in front of her. Then we must compare her to the man, who is strong, big, whose clothes make him appear official, American—the enemy. She is just a civilian who was brought in to the war because everyone in North Vietnam was brought into the war; she probably lacked any superior training—most definitely received less training than the man she has been asked to escort, but yet she stands confident, unfazed by the fact that the man is twice her size. “Thus a small Asian woman has power over a tall white man: Asia has power over America,” (Young 95).

            If we are considering this image to be a form of protest, we must also consider the rhetorical devices used to make it effective as such. The most obvious of the three is the photo’s effective use of pathos. How did Vietnamese citizens/soldiers feel when they saw a small Vietnamese citizen in control of their “enemy”? Put yourself in their position, what kind of feelings are provoked?

            The Vietnamese felt a sense pride for their nationality. The picture captures what they aimed to do as a country, to rise against as a community and fight for sovereignty—for every citizen to play their part in the war. The photo also invokes confidence. The woman looks unscathed and strong despite her lacking of physical attributes. If she can stand up to the big man, why can’t others? This is the mentality that helped Vietnam fight against America for so long with so much success. The image also invokes success—a small victory for this woman is a small victory for all of North Vietnam. With constant bombings of their land, napalm warfare on their jungles, the Vietnamese watched as their way of lives were destroyed by a superior force. Citizens were shot down in massacres and war crimes by the Americans saw many innocent Vietnamese dead. It is hard to see victory, or even want victory, when you see thousands of people die around you, to feel your entire world literally being rocked by the aftershocks of bombs. It is the small victories like the one seen in the photo that kept the North Vietnamese fighting, and why pathos in the photo is so effective.

            If we delve a little further into the message the photo is conveying we can find ethos being used. Ethos is the rhetorical strategy that appeals to credibility and character—for this photo specifically we must analyze the two characters and what one’s actions means for the other. The Vietnamese woman is the one in power, this is obvious. She has the gun, the pilot is the one who is tied up, and the facial features of the women (her head up) shows that she is in control. What does this mean for her character?

            Her character instantly gains credibility with her power over the pilot, but the message becomes much bigger and more influential. As discussed before, “a small Asian woman has power over a tall white man: Asia has power over America.” After looking at this picture the Vietnamese believed this ideology to be true. The woman’s strong appearance gives credibility to the entire nation of North Vietnam, not just her specifically; it gives the North Vietnamese power over America in a seemingly dire situation.

            Logos, or the appeal to logic, is a lot harder to distinguish in the photo, for the image speaks for itself. However, as discussed already, the image does beg the question—if she can do it, why can’t others? This in itself is a kind of logic that helps others viewing the image to gain confidence to do what needs to be done. The war can logically be won if everyone does their part like the woman in the photograph.

            The photograph captures exactly what Vietnam stood for at the time, a community serious about maintaining their way of life and doing anything in their power to help reach the ultimate goal of sovereignty—an ideal that Ho Chi Minh, the face of North Vietnam’s fight for independence, held dear to his heart. Just like the Americans did during their own struggles when they were colonists of England, the Vietnamese people collectively resisted a superpower’s involvement in the war: men, woman, and even children. Normal citizens went above and beyond to accomplish a dream, and that is what this picture captures. The image invokes pride, confidence, and success—three characteristics of a successful campaign, three characteristics that kept the Vietnamese going in a seemingly endless war for their independence. Ho Chi Minh couldn’t have ever said it better when he explained, “The Vietnamese people deeply love independence, freedom and peace. But in the face of United States aggression they have risen up, united as one man.” The image captures what the war meant to the North Vietnamese—it inspired hope, it inspired change, but most of all it inspired rebellion; and as a nation built on rebellion ourselves, we know how important these factors are in accomplishing the ultimate dream—freedom.

Citation

Young, Marilyn Blatt., John J. Fitzgerald, and A. Tom. Grunfeld. The Vietnam War: A History in Documents. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2002. Print